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Inbox: Google’s new Gmail app for Android and iOS revealed

Google has revealed a new email app for Android and iOS, which it says is a ‘completely different’ way of dealing with messages.

Simply called Inbox, the rejigged platform comes with a string of features which bring Gmail more in line with Google’s new design language, Material Design. There is also a clear influence from its excellent Now service, with cards and a flatter look.

Inbox offers a more modern approach to email. That means that rather than getting one single list of missives, it offers more intuitive ways of accessing your mail. The Bundles feature groups together similar messages automatically, so things like bank statements are all together rather than being strewn about your inbox.

Highlights pulls key information from an email to the front, so you can see everything from flight times to delivery details without having to open the message first. Google even brags that it can pull real time information about such details from the web, so you’ll get live status updates on packages or whether your plane is delayed.

Interestingly, Google has opted to bake a special reminders service right into Inbox, rather than asking users to rely on a separate app. These appear within your email and mean you don’t need to send yourself a message to remember to run a particular errand.

There’s even a special Assist feature which adds numbers and opening hours to reminders if you need to drop into a local shop. This also works for things like restaurant reservations, with Inbox pinning a map to your destination within the email itself. Thankfully, there is also the ability to snooze emails so you don’t get constant reminders.

Inbox is set to work on Android phones with 4.1 Jelly Bean or higher and iPhones using iOS 7 or iOS 8. It’s currently invite only, but you can request one by emailing inbox@google.com.

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